James and Ball become first Lakers to notch triple-doubles in the same game since Kareem and Magic in 1982.
CHARLOTTE — It was something Luke Walton needed a video replay to believe.
"Zo flexed?" he asked, flashing a quizzical expression after a reporter brought it up.
But if a 16-point, 10-assist, 10-rebound triple-double on Saturday night doesn't tell you something about what churns beneath Ball's calm exterior, maybe the flex did.
The Lakers pounded the Hornets 128-100 on the road, with a 40-17 third quarter edge sucking all the air out of the Spectrum Center. Much of that rally was thanks to a rare feat: Both LeBron James and Ball notched triple-doubles for the Lakers, the first time that's happened in franchise history since 1982.
A couple of Hall-of-Famers did it: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.
That's not surprising company for James (24 points, 11 assists, 12 rebounds), who recorded the 75th triple-double of his career and will undoubtedly be enshrined with those two once he's done playing. But it is more surprising for Ball, who at 21 years old has gone through a sometimes-choppy sophomore season in which his points and assists are down as he struggles to solidify his modified role.
The triple-double was his first of the season, and Ball attacked his way to it: He flew to the rim in the aggressive style that has characterized his best games. He dunked three times, the last of which came with the added flex. He also smothered Kemba Walker (2 for 13, 4 points) on defense, fighting through screens and staying with the All-Star shotmaker well.
James sat the entire third quarter with a noticeable exception: He leapt up from the bench to cheer on Ball, who finally got his triple-double on a fourth-quarter tip-in that gave him his final rebound.
Ball said he only realized that he was chasing the triple-double when James told him so.
It seemed appropriate timing for Ball to break out on a weekend when a trade for a veteran reportedly fell through: Former Laker Trevor Ariza was traded from Phoenix to Washington after several reports that the Lakers were interested. The primary reason cited was that the Lakers were unwilling to part with any member of their young core.
Later, James said he didn't think the player who he said he was "one and the same with our playmaking ability" needed a confidence boost his stat line might've provided.
The Lakers shot 53 percent on the night while holding the Hornets under 43 percent. They had seven players score in double figures, including JaVale McGee (19 points) who nearly was a scratch with flu-like symptoms.
It's the way the Lakers want to play, the latest evidence that a team can thrive with playmakers like Ball and James on the roster. Even shorthanded, again without Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram for the fifth straight game, they had no problem dispatching Charlotte (albeit on the second night of a back-to-back for the weary Hornets).
Even if Ball didn't need the confidence boost, at the very least, it was a special night for him to record a triple-double alongside James, who pulled him aside last year after a game and gave him advice.
On Saturday, he pulled his own weight, too.